i haven't been counting my calories, but i've been eating lo-cal and small portions and not a lot of chocolate, yet i gained 8 pounds. i haven't been exercising enough (though i have been exercising) to gain that sort of muscle, and now i'm freaked out.

i've been having light breakfasts like an egg and toast (today i had butter on my toast which i haven't done in a while), lunches have been things like either a plate of steamed and lightly sauced veggies or half a sandwich and some slices of dried vegetables. dinner would be a single chicken breast with rice and veggies. snacks are granola bars or fruit or yoghurt. i still have ramen, but not often and only if i know i ate lo-cal that day and could fit it in. i also use agave nectar instead of sugar, have cut out multiple things like high fructose corn syrup and aspartame. and i always always always eat small portions. a salad and a fillet of fish fills me up. also i drink V8 and have fiber one brownies, so i'm getting good nutrients.

also its hard for me to exercise because i have heart conditions but i've been riding my bike slowly, and have been taking short walks. i feel healthier, less tired and stuff, but my weight is really bothering me. i'm on medications that make you gain weight, but i didn't think it would be this bad. i've been stuck around 180-190 pounds for months now, even while i gradually eat better and better. i just wanna get to 150, but i can't seem to get out of the 180s.

i don't know what kind of help i can get here, but i'm frustrated. i feel like i'm doing everything i can do, and failing. does anyone have any advice? and please don't tell me to exercise more, as i'm doing what i can. i've also had people tell me to eat nothing but apples and run 5 miles a day, and i find that ridiculous, so think before you give advice.

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Please call me Alyssa or Aly, NOT Lyss or Lyssa.
I am 22, and live in New Jersey.
I love talking, so feel free to strike up a conversation! :DMy Food Log

No, exercise is not it. I would kill the carbs. Eat less bread (try the small low calorie ones) and get rid of the rice. I would also go sugar free - ditch the agave and the granola bars. Raw/steamed vegetables are what you need!

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Glad to hear you are looking for ways to keep losing, and not giving up!

I know you said you aren't counting calories, but I think you should. Sometimes we don't really know how many calories we are eating and maybe that is happening here? it'll help you get a hold on what is happening, for now It could also be water weight though...it might not be pounds gained!

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I know for me calorie counting helped a lot because for me sodium was killer. Which could account for a lot of water weight. I found that I wasn't eating as much protein as I thought I was. In the past about 70% of my calories was carbs.
BTW are drinking enough water? I know it sound a little silly but it works.

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Guys, I can't count calories. I have an eating disorder, and counting the calories was putting me into so much stress I wanted to cut. I am taking into consideration everything that people are saying though, don't worry I actually listen to advice given to me, even though others don't recognize that all the time.

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Please call me Alyssa or Aly, NOT Lyss or Lyssa.
I am 22, and live in New Jersey.
I love talking, so feel free to strike up a conversation! :DMy Food Log

Ramen is CRAZY high in sodium, that could be masking any loss with water retention. Could you maybe make your own version of ramen with less salt? i've never looked for recipes for this but im sure there must be some out there. Even if you aren't counting, are you measuring your food? or just eyeballing it? If you struggle with an eating disorder I know that this is probably a fine line to walk, but could you be eyeballing wrong, either over or under, sometimes too little food can cause as much of a stall as too much.

Some people are sensitive to carbs, and the meds may tie into that or cause it as well, I second trying to limit processed carbs and see if that helps.

If you are truly eating low calorie and have a history of an eating disorder, is there a chance that you could be dealing with metabolic damage? Is there any way you can work with a registered dietician?

It's the calories, nutrient composition of the food, or both. You must follow something - maybe try an exchange plan and control your servings? Or intermittent fasting and control your eating window? Low carb and control for high fat and low carb counts?

Something must be measured/structured if the calories aren't it. In the end it is about energy balance - though there are many confounding factors that make that much less simple, or make adherence to a weight reducing plan easier. I don't quite see how counting calories could make your eating disorder worse, though, so long as you counted meticulously on a comparably high calorie budget of say 1700-1800 per day. If the number stayed high, while you may initially be a bit obsessive about the details would it do demonstrable harm to you? Just thinking out loud, here.

And I'd be chewing my arm off if I ate tht many carbs - way too much sugar and starch for my body! It can be very hard to control portions on such a processed, carb-heavy diet, so I'd look into modifying that too, if you can. I know budget is an issue for you, but you're doing your health and weight loss a disservice with overly salty noodles and glorified candy bars, which is what granola is!

I agree with the high amount of carbs/calorie counting. But I understand with a eating disorder, counting and getting obssessed. May I suggest that you measure/weigh your foods, do a food journal on it's own thread, and members here could suggest, "Eat 1 less serving of carbs tomorrow." or "Add 2 servings of veggies to dinner." You could then take a suggestion each day, and apply it the next, and track your weight. You will soon learn who on here responded to food like you, and could maybe team up with them to get a plan in action.

Trying to eat small portions isn't working. As a general rules, we (humans) are not good at this.

If you can't count calories you need to follow rules.

I would suggest strict paleo.

Also, while I am 99% sure you have no metabolic damage, it wouldn't hurt to go talk to a doctor.

This is kinda what I do. I'm too lazy to count calories, so I pretty much eat paleo... and was doing so before I even knew what paleo was! However, I am not strict. I do eat things like fat free Greek yogurt and other low or non-fat milk products.

Personally, I have found when I have run into trouble, its because I deviated from my plan, and didn't realize how much until I paid closer attention to what, and how much, I was eating. When I've really examined what I was doing, and got back to basics, the weight started to come off again.

While I don't count calories, carbs, etc. and don't weigh my food, I have a rough idea of how much I am consuming in order to limit my portions. Even following a paleo diet strictly isn't going to help you lose weight if you go crazy on the portions.

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Started out at 405.5 on 7/31/12. Then lost 156 lbs to get down to 249.5 by 7/31/13. In the past year I have put back on over 40 pounds and reached a high of 291.5. But I have recommitted myself and quickly took off ten pounds by 7/31/14. I am now trying to take off the weight I put back on, and then lose the rest of the weight I was originally trying to lose. ‹---- Starting weight / Low weight / Current Weight / Goal Weight

I think you are eating way, WAY more carbs than you realize. Just the carbs from your toast, Fiber One brownie, ramen, rice and V8 comes to about 135 carbs. This is not counting the carbs in your yogurt, half a sandwich if you have one, granola bar, fruit, agave, or your sauced veggies.

It does not sound like you eat everything you listed every day but in case you do, that's about 236 carbs (I just pick a fruit, picked a yogurt, picked a granola bar etc).

According to the Primal Blueprint carb curve, 50g-100g is said to be the "sweet spot" for weight loss. 100g-150g is considered to be weight maintenance levels of carbs. 150g-300g is called the "Insidious Weight Gain" zone.

So if you choose to believe this chart, at best you are maintaining and at worst you are eating a level of carbs that can cause weight gain. I would really find stuff with less carbs to eat.

That being said, I have the same problem with counting calories as you do. I recently switched to calorie counting because I had an idea how to not tread into dangerous territory with it. I decided that I had to have set times to eat a bunch of small "meals" and instead of getting twitchy about my calories, I'm focused on getting my carbs/fat/protein pie chart to be mostly protein and hitting nutritional marks like "carbs under 100" or "100% of the important vitamins" or "only healthy fats". Maybe you can try something like that?

Edit: Another thing I try to do is not eat anything that comes in its own bag. That has really kept me from eating a lot of processed crap even if it's low calorie.

I hate to change the subject but I lost 150+ pounds in the "Insidious Weight Gain" zone. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

As for the original topic, I have to concur with everyone else --something has to be controlled. If you can't count calories, you have to limit your calorie intake indirectly by following some other plan. Low carb/paleo plans can do that, it's how they work. I wouldn't try to eyeball it or do any intuitive eating approaches until your weight is happy and stable.